Cumbie staying!

[roughedge]

Letter from the AD, Cumbie to Return in 2025

Dear Bulldog Nation,


Thank you for your continued support, passion, and loyalty for Bulldog football. Louisiana Tech's storied football legacy is one that has cultivated a passionate fanbase who shows unwavering support.


The end of a season is a time of reflection and assessment. After careful consideration, we are looking forward to Sonny Cumbie's return as our head football coach for the 2025 season. Our Bulldogs made progress during the season, our defense ranks in the top 3 in the conference in every major defensive statistical category and top 15 nationally in total defense, eight games were determined by a single score, and we saw a group of student-athletes who never quit and showed us the meaning of grit, resiliency and perseverance.


In a pre-season interview I shared that the evaluation of our football program goes beyond wins and losses but is a holistic approach grounded in data, fiduciary responsibility, academic progress, and long-term sustainability. With the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics, it is important that we remain disciplined and focused in our approach.


This approach demands the review of several programmatic operations within. In the coming weeks and months, we will focus on:
· our offensive schematic and tactical approach;
· restructuring football personnel to maximize our ability to develop and grow student-athletes;
· off-season workouts grounded in competition, attention to detail, and discipline;
· reimagining roster management, focused on the ability to recruit and retain top talent; and
· strategic assessment of expenses to invest more in player acquisition and compensation.


This approach will improve on-field results for the 2025 season. I am confident that Sonny will meet these challenges head-on and we will be there to support all changes necessary to achieve the only acceptable on-field result.


As the college athletics enterprise evolves at a rapid pace, we remain committed to embracing innovation and a decision-making strategy that ensures success. The goal for our football program is, and always will be, post-season competitiveness. We will not lower that standard and I promise we will return to that expectation.
As we close this 2024 season and begin to write the 2025 chapter, I am calling upon our Bulldog nation to continue to support this football program however possible. We need every one of our Loyal Blue supporters now more than ever. Together, I am confident that we will begin the next successful run of Bulldog football.
All the best and Go Dogs!

Ryan Ivey
VP/Director of Athletics

Louisiana Tech University

https://latechsports.com/news/2024/12/1/football-letter-from-the-ad-cumbie-to-return-in-2025.aspx

[revf]

“fiduciary responsibility”

Didn’t have the money to buy him out. Good luck with those season ticket sales. I’m sure they will be way lower.

[hambone29]

What a joke.

[RUBLUE]

Fire a guy then spend the next decade clawing our way back to where we started.

[Dwayne From Minden]

“fiduciary responsibility”

Didn’t have the money to buy him out. Good luck with those season ticket sales. I’m sure they will be way lower.

Marginal decline...

Just like this year

We don't sale a whole lot if season tickets in any sport except baseball

[techman05]

On the bright side, if they save the program, what a resume builder for coach and AD. Bringing us back to relevance would be the equal to the Titanic surviving the iceberg, the crew repairing the hull at sea, and them safely arriving at harbor.

[HangmanAllen]

Ryan Ivey must have went to the Mickey Loomis School of Management. He basically gave us the we can't afford to get rid of him and the good organizations look beyond the results garbage. We are now below rock bottom

[Blue Dawg]

We can't afford to keep him
That was the last chance for any relevance

[HangmanAllen]

To be honest with the way they're playing I don't think you could give them away for free

[RUBLUE]

In his defense he hasn’t impregnated a student athlete.

[dawg80]

In his defense he hasn’t impregnated a student athlete.

He tried...but missed! and she was wide open too.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

You all knew it was coming…
https://youtu.be/pjv6qdYbs2Q?si=MpqZit_w3zf7MF14

[DallasDog]

"our defense ranks in the top 3 in the conference in every major defensive statistical category and top 15 nationally in total defense, eight games were determined by a single score, and we saw a group of student-athletes who never quit and showed us the meaning of grit, resiliency and perseverance"

So, fire Cumbie and promote the DC, because Cumbie didn't have a damn thing to do with the defense. When Cumbie was hired we were sold a bill of goods about a powerful offense from this P5 coordinator etc. etc. He has been offensive but not in the right way.

If $1 million is too much to buy out a crap coach then shut it down folks because that's peanuts if we are going to try and stay at this level at a minimum. Any good players or coaches will be here 1-2 years at most and gone in the portal or to a better job. $100 dollars from 10,000 alumni buys him out. Problem is you crapped on the little fans under several previous regimes, depended on a few wealthy alums (many of which sadly are passing away in recent times), and now there are no "average" alums that give a shit, much less $100.

We are the most poorly run athletic business in country.

[TechFanno1]

"our defense ranks in the top 3 in the conference in every major defensive statistical category and top 15 nationally in total defense, eight games were determined by a single score, and we saw a group of student-athletes who never quit and showed us the meaning of grit, resiliency and perseverance"

So, fire Cumbie and promote the DC, because Cumbie didn't have a damn thing to do with the defense. When Cumbie was hired we were sold a bill of goods about a powerful offense from this P5 coordinator etc. etc. He has been offensive but not in the right way.

If $1 million is too much to buy out a crap coach then shut it down folks because that's peanuts if we are going to try and stay at this level at a minimum. Any good players or coaches will be here 1-2 years at most and gone in the portal or to a better job. $100 dollars from 10,000 alumni buys him out. Problem is you crapped on the little fans under several previous regimes, depended on a few wealthy alums (many of which sadly are passing away in recCumnie ent times), and now there are no "average" alums that give a shit, much less $100.

We are the most poorly run athletic business in country.

Alot of "Cumbie must go" which I heard all year. What the hell is a viable alternative. The only one with any legs is making our Defensive coach the head coach or be prepared to pay him to stay. Otherwise he will be gone. What are the alternatives, hire another coach and wait, how long for him to be successful. I hear nothing but, complaints. Someone give a plan that is better than what we are doing for next year. You really want our football to disappear? Give me something better, and why it would work better. Anyone can complain and whine. Suggest alternatives, please.

[PawDawg]

You really want our football to disappear?

Football has already disappeared.

I don't want the guy(s) refusing to fire him being the ones who hire the next coach. Our former non-qualified ADs and president have mismanaged the athletic program to death. We did get a lot of "stuff", but the only ones there to see it are the high dollar parking pass peeps. Looks like our most recent hires at President and AD are following right along. How's that working out for you?